


The Letter

by magelette



Category: Young Riders
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-29
Updated: 2011-09-29
Packaged: 2017-10-24 03:53:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/258681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magelette/pseuds/magelette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rachel gets a letter from the woman she replaced.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Letter

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers through "Ghosts" in season two.

She was just settling back into bed when she heard another knock at the door. Pulling her robe around her one more time, she made her way down the narrow stairs to the front of the house. This time, she left her husband's rifle in its place on the wall.

"Rachel?" A soft voice called out from the other side of the wall. "I'm sorry to wake you up again…"

Rachel opened the door, shooing Louise inside. At least this time, she was wearing a coat. From the way the tan and black coat hung on her small frame, it probably belonged to one of the boys.

"It's okay," Louise answered, shoving an envelope in Rachel's hand. "I just remembered that I was 'sposed to give you this."

Rachel held the envelope up in the light of her lantern, but didn't recognize the tidy handwriting on the outside. 'Dear one' it said, and nothing more.

"Emma said to give it to whoever came after her," Louise continued in a rush. "She said I'd know who to give it to--"

She hugged the shorter girl to her. It took Louise's body a moment to relax against her. Rachel rubbed her back, wondering if the letter answered particular questions about her new charges, particularly what might've driven a young woman to disguise herself as a boy. It was evident enough from the way Louise held herself and moved that she'd been a boy for a while now. Even when Louise sat on the sofa earlier tonight, she'd crossed her arms over her chest and huddled in on herself, almost as if she'd forgotten how to act like the woman she was.

"Thank you," Rachel said quietly, pressing her cheek against Louise's dark hair for a minute. "Now, get! You'll catch your death out here."

A brief smile flashed across Louise's face before she darted back to the bunkhouse.

Once Rachel was sure the girl made it back, she closed and bolted the door and made her way back upstairs. She set the lantern back on the table beside her bed and got comfortable again.

The letter in the envelope was a thick one, the neat handwriting covering both sides of the paper. She knew even before she saw the signature that it was from Emma. At least now she would get to know a bit of the woman she replaced.

'Dear one…' the letter began…

Dear one,

If Lou gave you this letter, it's a good sign. It means that my boys have decided to keep you, for better or worse. I have to warn you though, that once you let them in your heart, they'll never leave you alone. Even now, miles and miles away, I wonder how they're doing, if they've eaten enough, and hope that they sleep warm and dry tonight.

I hope they've been on their best behavior long enough for you to decide to stay. They can be charmers when they want, and Mr. Spoon has a habit of indulging their bad behavior. For all his gray hair, he's hardly more than a boy himself. You can count him as one of the children, since he seems to have the sense of one at times. But that might just be the way of menfolk, no matter how old they are.

I don't want you to think that you need to treat them as children. You weren't hired to be their mother, though if the occasion arises where you might need to impart some motherly comfort and wisdom, it won't be rejected. I'm surprised that my boys grew up as well as they did, considering how many of them lost their families early on. That didn't make it any easier when Sam found out we were moving clear across the territory. I don't think I've ever faced anything harder than leaving my boys behind. But I trust that they're in good hands, and that you'll watch over them for me.

But knowing them, their quirks and their tricks, I thought I might help you get to know them before they try to pull the wool over your eyes. Cody's best at that, though Jimmy isn't any more of an angel. Don't be fooled by their height. They may be tall, and they may have the eyes of grown-ups, but inside, they're still children who need to be loved so much.

I might as well start with Cody. William Fredrick Cody, as he'll most likely introduce himself, is undoubtedly the charmer of the bunch. He's perfected his ways over the past few months, but he's still fumbling to find his style. The boy could talk a building to death if he had the chance. Don't let him convince you of anything. And don't believe half of what he says. Judge the truth of everything by his eyes, because those blue eyes of his still can't lie completely. Of all my boys, he's probably my most well-adjusted and happiest. He's also got the biggest heart of them all. Show him one bit of love, and he'll love you back forever, loyal until the end of time. He might also be sneaking a third or fourth biscuit behind his back, since the way to his heart is through his stomach. But don't be afraid of loving him, since he'll gladly love you back.

Buck is my thoughtful one. He's Ike's voice, shadow, protector and other half all rolled into one. From what I understand, his brother is one of the local Kiowa chiefs. Their mother was raped by a white man and Buck was the result, but apparently that didn't make his brother love him any less. For all that he's faced because of who he is, and all the hatred the world has thrown in his face, Buck seems to take it all in his quiet stride. He'll get as riled up as the others, but it takes a lot to push him over that edge. Usually, it's anything concerning Ike. I worry, sometimes, if one would make it if something happened to the other. They came to me as a pair, and I can't help but think of them as two parts of a whole. If you need a tracker or a horse-breaker, a hunter or just a good listener, Buck's understanding of human nature extends far beyond his years.

If you noticed the quiet one watching you from the corner, you've found Ike McSwain. He's my sensitive boy, probably the strongest one of all of them. While Cody throws himself into everything with a fit of passion, and Buck tends to analyze it from every angle, Ike just watches. He's the calm one, the gentle boy who can tame any animal, even better than Buck. And while he might not talk with his voice, his gray eyes say plenty. He's the easiest to fall in love with, and probably the one I worry about least. Mothering Ike just comes naturally, because he's the one who appears the weakest. But Ike is the rock that Buck and the others depend on, with his own quiet strength.

Kid is probably the most courteous one, and remains the only one with passable manners. He's also the most stubborn. He doesn't think he's right, he knows it, and once he's set in his ways… Like Ike, he's a quiet support. He can plan and rationalize with the best of them, but he's blinded by the things he really loves, namely his brother Jed, and Lou. You will probably see some spectacular rows between him and Lou, especially in the name of propriety. Kid still has some trouble adjusting, since his mother managed to instill a sense of society and properness into him that most of my other boys lack. But when he loves, he loves for keeps.

Lou will speak for herself in her own time. She hides her secrets well by posing as the quiet one, but she's slowly coming out of her shell. I think she'll need you most, especially when it comes to Kid. She loves Kid most of any of them, though Jimmy seems to be a close second. And while you don't necessarily need to be her mother, be her friend. She's been a man so long that I think she's forgotten to be a woman. And she's the one I worry about, torn where she is by the man she's supposed to be, and the woman she's undoubtedly becoming.

Which brings me to Jimmy. James Butler Hickok came to me a rash young man who acted first and thought later. He's just as passionate as Cody or the Kid, and believes in his beliefs with his whole heart. But Fate dealt him a rough hand from the start, and he's already paying the price of infamy, not just because of his father's reputation as an abolitionist, but because of one moment when pride got the better of him. He's quieter now and more subdued, his trigger finger a little less itchy, but he's still high-strung. There are so many conflicting emotions in him that I can't decide between hugging him and shaking him sometimes. And Lord knows that if I were younger or he were older… I love him most of all probably, though I should admit that even on paper. But he has a fire inside that's hard to ignore. And I can only hope he doesn't burn out too soon.

Teaspoon is one of the most wonderful men I've ever met, even if he is an ornery old dog like the rest of them. He plays the fool, but he knows more than he lets on. He's faced his own demons, which means he's better at dealing with Jimmy's latest crisis or Cody's latest escapade. But that doesn't mean that he won't have a quiet moment with Lou or Ike. He sometimes forgets that they're still just boys, but he's fallen into the role of father admirably. Look to him for support. He'll show you how to love the boys, not that it's hard to fall in love with them in the first place.

If anything, watch over my family. I trust that I'm leaving them in good hands, but I'll still worry and envy you, because you still get to watch them grow every day. Don't let them fool you, and never back down if you think you're right. They still take the threat of a switching seriously, so don't be afraid to tan their hides.

Thank you for loving my boys, all of them. If you ever need me, remember that I'm only a letter away.

Emma Shannon Cain


End file.
